Beyond Sinnoh--Chapter 1: Logan's Lesson
by Leafly
Summary: When a pokemon tale is told, it often deals with young girls and boys who set out on their own person journey's in order to discover themselves. But what of adults? While small fries yearn to be the best, what do those in their 20's reach for? Logan is a scholar looking to end a rampaging pokemon's grip on Cerulean city and teach some kids a thing or two about responsibility.


A thick layer of clouds hung over Cerulean city, stained gray from the constant rain. It was strange indeed to see the sky be anything but blue and it definitely affected the city's activity. Cerulean was known for it's shows, seafood, and performances but who would come visit during such a persistant deluge? Logan left the Cerulean Inn not too long ago once he was sure the inclement weather showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. As Logan walked toward the Pokemon center, he couldn't help but notice how lonely the streets were. On his way there, he may have encountered four or five others. It didn't take too long for him to reach the front door of the pokemon center, despite the map's poor directions. A bell chimed as he stepped inside, shaking his umbrella on the entryway rug. Logan slicked his black hair back and brushed the raindrops off of his peacoat.

While it may have been virtually empty outside, the Pokemon center seemed to be bursting at the seams with young trainers waiting for their pokemon to be healed and making camp for the night. A helpful Chansey in a nurses uniform happily approached Logan and took his umbrella to be set aside against the wall with the others. It returned with a tray with six spots for his pokeballs. Logan raised his hands up and shook them, saying that that wasn't necessary. Confused, the Chansey simply waddled to the back where it could find some use for itself elsewhere. Logan decided not to even try to get the attention of nurse joy over there who was busy running back and forth, caring for the arriving injured pokemon. His business with her could wait. All of the tables were occupied by trainers and a benched lined the walls where the rest of the trainers sat with their belongings. Some had let their healthy pokemon out of their pokeballs to stretch their legs while others sipped on complementary hot chocolate set up at a table at the far side of the main room. There didn't seem to be much of a selection as far as finding a place to sit. Logan made due with a space at the end of the bench just big enough for him to squeeze onto. Perhaps he could glean the information he needed from other pokemon trainers instead. Logan pulled out the damp city map in his pocket again. Alas, he wouldn't get the opportunity to examine it for long. A young, enthusiastic trainer walked up to him, armed with his refreshed pokemon.

"Hey, mister! Do you have any pokemon? Wanna battle with me?"

Logan looked at the spikey blue-haired, wide-eyed up-and-comer and smiled. Being called mister made him feel old but, then again, it's been a while since he was ten. "Just starting out?" He asked.

"What? Of course not! Me and my Bulbasaur have been at it for a week now. We're stronger than ever."

Logan chuckled. So he was just starting. "What's your name, kid?"

"Anthony! Remember the name because I'm going to be the greatest pokemon master ever!"

Logan nodded at Anthony in respect. "Hey Anthony, know anything about all this rain?"

Anthony frowned a bit. "Oh. That's just the Cerulean City gym leader."

"Beg pardon?"

"She's been making her pokemon rain dance for four days now. It sucks because no one can battle her until she's done. That's why the center is so full of travelers. None of us can move on."

Logan leaned back. "Done with what? What's this all about?"

"You mean you haven't heard, mister?" Said another voice from not too far away. A girl with brunette curls and a sassy Marill at her hip approached.

"I'm not from around here so I don't know anything."

Gently, she looped some of her hair behind her ear. "A Charizard is going nuts in the forest and no one here is strong enough to take it down. Marill and I sure couldn't." Her Marill sighed in frustration.

"You kids have been warned about going near that Charizard, haven't you?" The two kids flinched in shame as nurse joy approached. "You know, some wounds can't be healed. What will you do if you don't get away next time?"

"But Marill is a water-type! We had the advantage." The girl tried to explain.

"That creature is far too strong for that to matter. Now I'm going to tell all of you this once and for all." Nurse Joy raised her voice to grab the attention of the entire room. "Stay away from the Charizard. None of you are ready to handle an opponent like that."

"But if none of us defeat it, how will we be able to challenge the gym leader?" Anthony complained.

Murmurs of agreement went around the room and nurse joy sighed in frustration. "I guess there's no helping it."

"Excuse me," Logan stood and nurse joy forced herself not to blush at the rather handsome man before her, "but I haven't quite been clued in on the entire story yet. What's going on?"

Nurse joy frowned as she's had to explain this to many people and it hasn't made one bit of a difference. "There's a Charizard in the forest. It's looking for strong opponents to battle. New trainers try and fail to appease it with a battle it feels is worthy of its time. It gets angry and sets the forest on fire."

"You don't say." Logan placed his hands under opposite arms.

"Misty, the Cerulean City gym leader, wants to find it and handle it since her specialty is water. But she's the only one with pokemon strong enough to keep the forest from igniting. She can't leave. All she can do it make it rain. And Cerulean City is not a place strong trainer usually pass through often. It's a place where beginners get their start."

Logan rubbed his chin. "Thank you very much, nurse Joy. I'll be seeing you."

As if sensing his departure, the Chansey from earlier appeared again, retrieved Logan's umbrella, and happily handed it to him.

"Sir, it's pouring!" Nurse Joy tried to think of a reason that would get the kind gentleman to stay a bit. A t least until her break. "Won't you stay and at least dry off? Or have some cocoa?" ...Or maybe dinner, she wanted to add.

"No thank you, ma'am." Logan said, exiting through the automatic doors.

Logan had heard the stories, although folks couldn't help but embellish as word passed from town to town. He remembered being told of a great fire beast who was reining terror on Cerulean City and its neighboring forest. How even the gym leader was overwhelmed. It sounded horrible. Most experienced trainers wouldn't bother making such a long trip when they didn't know the whole story. But Logan felt it only right to at least have a look. Especially if this mystery pokemon could wind up making a good 5th addition to his team, should things work out that way. Hearing that it was a Charizard was a bit exciting. You don't find many Charmanders, Charmeleons, or Charizard's in the wild and most trainers would rather not trade away their starter pokemon, nor would Logan ask them to. The few older trainers that did come for the pokemon probably didn't want to bother once they found out it was a Charizard. Anyone worth their salt as a trainer knew that Charizard were a stubborn pokemon and nearly impossible to command if they hadn't been raised by the same trainer from the start. It needed time, patience, and a lot of work. To most, it just wasn't worth it.

.

Those who did come to Cerulean City anyway were probably waiting for Cerulean City to put up a cash reward for whoever took it down. The city couldn't receive any tourists while this whole commotion was going on. It seems that, as pokemon trainers progressed, it became more and more about the money for a lot of people. But this was a rare opportunity indeed, for Logan would need the balance of a pure fire pokemon to compose a team that would serve him well.

"So mister, whatcha gonna do?" called Anthony as he came up from behind, quickly, in his poncho.

"Yea! Are you a pokemon trainer like us?" Said the brunette who wasn't much further behind him.

Logan hadn't realized he had been followed. "You guys shouldn't be here. Go back to the center."

"But you are a pokemon trainer, aren't you?" The girl asked without waiting for an answer. "I knew it!"

"I bet you're strong!" Said Anthony with his fists clenched.

"The name's Cassidy!" The young girl held out her hand. "You can call me Cassy."

Logan hesitantly took it and gave it a shake. "Logan. And you guys need to get going."

"Awwww, come on Mr. Logan!" Anthony whined.

Cassy joined him. "We promise we won't get in the way!"

"You guys have no business tagging along. You'll know if I take it down if the rain stops."

Cassy crossed her arms in defiance. "It's not like you can stop us."

Logan didn't argue. "You're right. I can't."

Cassidy gave a victorious smile. "Then, like it or not, we're coming along."

"We'll be your special helpers and if you want us to shut up, we'll shut right up!" Anthony added. Cassy looked at the boy next to her and slapped her hand against her head.

Logan sighed. "Like you said, I can't stop you."

"Hooray!" They said in unison.

"For starters, why don't you guys show me the quickest way to the cerulean city gym." Logan said, throwing his map of Cerulean City away in a nearby garbage can.

"Not a problem." Cassy gave a salute.

Cassy took long strides ahead of Logan, showing him the quickest way to the gym. Anthony had let his Bulbasaur out to soak in the rain and Cassy's Marill delighted in the downpour. Anthony gave Logan the low-down on all of his plans. First, he would defeat all eight gym leaders faster than anyone ever has and then challenge the elite four. Afterwards, he'd go on to catch super rare pokemon and be just like his idol, Tobias, in Sinnoh. Cassy had different plans. Not only would she be the best pokemon master, but she would also go on to perform in the pokemon beauty pageants. She aimed to be a star in the cuteness category and Marill would be the first of many triumphs. Logan listened to them politely until they had finally made it to the city's gym. Perhaps it wasn't so bad having tagalongs. As big as the gym was, there was no way he would have found it on his own as quickly as Cassy did. But the building was dark and seemed empty and there were no others around. The three approached the doors when they wouldn't open.

"Huh?" Anthony exclaimed. "That's strange."

Logan leaned in, gave the door three hard knocks, and then waited.

Anthony pressed his face against the glass to look for motion and then began banging on the door. "Open up!"

"Hey, cut it out." Logan said, whacking Anthony lightly on the back of the head. "Either no one's in or they are busy."

"But..."

"If you're looking for a gym battle..." called a voice from atop the roof, "I'm afraid you'll have to come back another time. We're facing a bit of a crisis here."

"We don't want a gym battle. We want to help." Logan called up with his hands cupped at the sides of his mouth.

Perched on the roof was gym leader Misty and a very exhausted Staryu. Misty knelt down beside it and rubbed the top of it. "Hang in there, sweetheart. Give me one more rain dance and then I'll switch you out. You've earned a rest."

The Staryu gave a friendly 'hya!' and began its rain dance. Misty stood up and climbed down a ladder that ran up the side of the gym. She wore a plain blue swimsuit, white flip flops, and a pale jacket with the hood up. Her hair was short, red, and lightly curled at the end. And she looked very tired. Once she reached the three, her emerald eyes studied the tallest stranger. "I'm Misty, the Cerulean City gym leader."

"Logan." Logan gave a slight bow.

"Help, huh? Those who have tried have only gotten hurt. What makes you all think you'd fair any better?" Misty pressed.

Logan straightened his back. "I'm not a beginner and know a thing or two about pokemon. I've been handling them for over a decade. If you tell me what you know, I'm sure I can help."

Misty was impressed that she wasn't just speaking with a child for once. "There's not too many strong trainers around here so it's not like I have much room to be picky."

"Hey!" Anthony took offense. "I'm plenty strong!"

"Saur! Saur!" His Bulbasaur cried.

"Sure you are, kid." Misty turned back to Logan, picking up where she left off. "But I've sent so many well-meaning trainers off to deal with that Charizard, only for them to run back into town carrying their hurt pokemon in one hand and holding their scorched butts with the other. I don't want to see anyone else get hurt."

"Experience tells me that all this guy needs is a good fight, which I'll gladly give. My team is more than up for the challenge. It's worth a try. I haven't seen or heard any commotion from the forest since I got here, though."

"That's because the rain keeps it at bay. It stays in a cave on that ridge over there during the rain." Misty pointed in the direction of the cave. "But if I stop making it rain..."

"I'll stop this guy once and for all. I guarantee it." Logan promised.

"I don't know. It'll be dangerous."

"I'm no novice and I'm no child. I think this city has had enough of rain. Don't you agree?"

Misty folded her arms tightly and moaned in agreement. She didn't want to outright say that she had grown tired of all of this water, but even she honestly missed the sun. "Alright. But at the first sign of trouble, I'm turning the water back on. I don't recommend trying to corner it in it's cave. It'll just get madder. But when it's not raining, it usually harasses pokemon trainers along the main road. It isn't picky. If you travel along this road, it'll show up eventually. It's quite angry."

"Understood. Hopefully I'll come back with good news." Logan turned to leave, followed by the other two at his sides.

"Wait!" Misty called, reaching into her pocket. "Take this." She pulled out a spray and handed it to Logan. It was burn heal. "You never know."

The rain had stopped a while ago although the clouds remained. Logan held his umbrella at his side. He kept trying to think of the best way to approach this new foe, all the while taking in his surroundings and deciding what could be useful. Should he draw the battle out to wear it down or end it quickly? Quickly seemed a better option, although that would require a much harsher battle strategy. Anthony couldn't get over how quiet this stranger was. Here he and Cassy were telling him everything they knew, and all they knew was his name.

"So, Mr. Logan, where are you from?"

"New Bark Town."

"My cousin lives there!" Cassy commented excitedly. "Do you know a Melissa?"

"I haven't been back home in a while."

Anthony shrugged. "Well I never heard of it."

"It's pretty small."

"Well if you came all of this way, you must have had a lot of battles and won tons of badges." Anthony concluded.

Cassy nodded in agreement. "How many badges have you won, Mr. Logan?"

"None."

"Nine? That's not bad!"

"That's nothing. There are dozens of them out there."

"Not nine. None." Logan corrected.

The two stopped, surprised by the answer. "But, how can you not have any?" Cassy wondered.

"Oh I get it! You must be a pokemon breeder. You capture lots and lots of different pokemon to breed instead. You must have hundreds!" Anthony deduced.

"I have four."

"Four hundred?! No way!"

"No, not four hundred. Four."

Anthony and Cassy scratched their heads as they watched Logan walk ahead of them. They were starting to think that maybe this was a mistake and this Logan character wasn't the great pokemon trainer they thought he was.

"How can you only have four? Most trainers carry at least six at a time."

"Yea, well I'm not most trainers."

"Well then what are you?"

"A scholar of sorts."

"You're a teacher? Well how can you teach if you don't have as many pokemon as..."

Logan turned to the kids, calmly with a serious face. "Look guys, I know you're set on your ideas about pokemon training but, believe me, it's not what you think it is. Do you think it's right to catch 400 pokemon when you're only going to be close to 6? 9 if you switch out on occasion. What happens to the other 391? Do they just sit somewhere in a pokeball, as nothing but trophies that you can occasionally brag about owning?"

A wave a guilt washed over Cassy as she had left her Squirtle with her mother in favor of her new

found favorite, Marill.

"And so many pokemon trainers are so interested in challenging any and everyone and winning battles, that they lose sight of what it actually means to lose them. For you, loss comes with hurt pride with a side of low self-esteem. Your pokemon? Broken bones, bite marks, poisoning, and having bits torn off that might never grow back. Do you really think that's fun for them?"

Anthony rubbed the back of his head, recalling his eagerness to battle Logan without knowing anything about him or his pokemon.

"And when you catch pokemon, do you think about the families you're potentially tearing apart? The eggs left behind?"

Anthony and Cassy's began to clutch their chests, anxiously.

"Starter pokemon are great because they're bred responsibly by the professors who give them to you. That's why it's quite rare to find them in the wild. Each one has papers. Each one was carefully chosen. And they all start young and, most importantly, willing. Can the same be said about your Marill?"

Cassy looked down at the pokeball that currently held her Marill.

"This Charizard that we're going after is angry. And it's high level lets me know that it's not supposed to be in this area anyway. So I don't just want to catch it. I want to help it. Will you help the pokemon you find? Or will you just catch them and make them do whatever you want them to do?"

A roar echoed through the trees and wave of warm wind pushed past them. "Charizard." Logan turned to the two. "You two, get back." Logan reached at his belt and grabbed the first pokeball. "Garchomp, go!"

"Wow, it's a Garchomp!" Cassy held up her pokedex as it began to relay the pokemon's specs to the two of them.

"Garchomp. The Mach Pokemon." It said. "It's body is covered in fine scales that..."

"Get out of here, now!" Logan harshly waved his hands for them to hide behind a tree or something. They did so, all the while keep a close eye on the battle that was about to unfold. "Come on, where are you?" Logan said to himself. Garchomp kept his claws up and his keen eyes peeled for his opponent. "Looks like we've got a stealthy one, Garchomp. Do not assume this one will fight fair." It nodded its head and let out a gruff

growl. "It might have stealth but you have speed. When you see it, take it down."

The two looked up at the sky, waiting for the Charizard to make the first move. From behind, a pillar of fire ran across the ground towards Logan and Garchomp as the Charizard let out a vicious flamethrower attack. Garchomp stepped in front of Logan to protect him and took the hit. Logan was almost overwhelmed by the heat but Garchomp stood strong. "What an underhanded trick," he said. Once it was over, Garchomp leaped into the air and grabbed the Charizard firmly, opening up with a take down. They hit the ground hard and both took damage. But both were back on their feet within seconds. Down on all four, the Charizard took a deep breath in and let out a monstrous roar that shook the trees. Both Anthony and Cassy covered their ears as they were nearly overwhelmed by the ear-shattering sound. Back in the city, the windows in Misty's office shook as the roar carried over the wind. She ran to a window and opened it. Climbing out of it, she scaled the side of the building to the roof and called out Starmie.

"You've got five minutes, Logan. Five minutes."

Back at the forest, Garchomp stood unmoving in the wake of the roar. He would not be intimidated and neither would Logan. "Giga impact!" Logan cried.

Quicker than any would anticipate, Garchomp launched himself forward and came in contact with the Charizard with such force that it actually radiated outward. The Charizard was sent flying backward into a row of trees, causing splinters to fly everywhere until its back finally collided with the rocky side of a hill. It was definitely angry now but it would all be over soon if Logan had anything to say about it. With its mouth open wide, an orb or light began charging in front of it.

"It's using hyper beam. Quick, Garchomp! Rockslide!" Garchomp flew to where Charizard was and began to punch the wall of rock vigorously until large boulders began to fall. Charizard's beam was interrupted when a large boulder hit the back of its head. It flapped its wings and tried to get from under the rockslide but a particularly large boulder slammed into it without mercy. It brought the Charizard to its knees. As it struggled to rise, the edges of its vision began to darken and it thrashed a bit to keep conscious. But it was no use. It fainted. Pulling out an ultra ball, Logan threw it at the Charizard and, in a flash of light, it was sucked inside. The ultra ball shook for a moment and Garchomp braced itself, prepared for anything. Then there was no movement and Garchomp relaxed.

Cheers erupted from behind one of the trees that was still standing. Anthony and Cassy jumped for joy as they raced to Logan to celebrate.

"Wow I can't believe it! Charizard was like ROOOOAAAAARRR and Garchomp was like 'NO WAY' and IT WAS AMAZING!"

"Yea! I've never seen a Garchomp...and he flies too! How on earth did you pull off such a combo?!"

Logan held the ultra ball out to the two who abruptly backed away.

"No way, man. That thing's crazy." Anthony passed.

"You got that right." Cassy did as well.

Logan laughed and held his pokedex up to analyze and add the data of his newly caught pokemon.

"What are you going to do with him, Logan?"

"Yea, what?"

"Well, first I intend to find out why it's so crazy. And second...it's a she." Logan said, holding his pokedex up for the two to see for themselves


End file.
